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Alexandra "Aly" Raisman
Alexandra (Aly) Raisman (born May 25, 1994, in Needham, Massachusetts) is an American artistic gymnast who is a three-year member of the U.S. national gymnastics team. Raisman trains at Brestyan's Gymnastics with Alicia Sacramon and has similar skills and physique. In 2010, Raisman also performed her floor exercise to music that Sacramone had used earlier in her career. Raisman won a gold medal in team gymnastics along with a bronze medal in floor at the 2011 World Championships. 2009 In the junior division of the 2009 American Classic in San Diego, Calif, Raisman won the vault title, tied for fourth on balance beam, placed sixth on floor exercise and 10th all-around. In the 2009 CoverGirl Classic's junior division, Raisman placed third on floor (14.400), eighth on bars (13.900) and 12th all-around (54.050). At the 2009 U.S. Junior National Gymnastics Championships, Raisman placed third all-around (112.60) behind winner Kyla Ross (114) and silver medalist Bridgette Caquatto (113.450). She placed second on balance beam (28.950) and fifth on vault (29.650). In the 2009 Junior Pan American Championships in Aracaju, Brazil, Raisman won the gold on vault and floor, and she earned a share of the U.S. team gold medal. She also placed third all-around. 2010 Raisman's senior career began in March 2010 at the Tyson American Cup, where she placed second all around, first on vault, and second on beam and floor exercise. Also in March 2010, Raisman was a member of the gold-winning U.S. team at the City of Jesolo Championships. She placed first all around, first on floor and vault, and third on beam. In May 2010, Raisman was a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. team at the Pacific Rim Championships. She scored second place all around and made finals in bars (7th), beam (2nd) and floor exercise (2nd). In July 2010 at the U.S. CoverGirl Classic competition, Raisman was fifth AA with a 55.7. Her score was particularly impacted by vault, where she attempted a 2.5 twisting Yurchenko vault ("Amanar"), but crashed, landing on her hips, incurring a large penalty (7.5 execution) and being recognized for only a lower valued double-twisting Yurchenko. At the 2010 U.S. National Championships in Hartford, Connecticut, Raisman placed third in the all-around (115.650), behind winner Rebecca Bross (120.3) and silver medalist Mattie Larson (117). She placed third on both balance beam (28.300) and floor (29.500). Raisman was named to the 2010 world team. At the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, she helped Team USA win the silver medal behind Russia by .200 of a point. She qualified third into the Women's Individual All Around competition, but had a unsuccessful bar routine which placed her in 13th in the final. She also qualified for the Women's Floor Exercise Final, and had a great routine with good, strong landings and came in 4th by .066 of a point. 2011 Raisman was initially announced by USA Gymnastics as the sole American female representative for the March 5, 2011, AT&T American Cup, but she was joined by two-time American Cup winner Jordyn Wieber (who was a last minute replacement for a non-U.S. gymnast). Raisman finished in third place behind Wieber (first) and 2010 world all around champion Aliya Mustafina (second). At the March 19, 2011, City of Jesolo Championships, Raisman was a member of the United States team that won gold over the Italians and Russians. She won bronze in the all-around and golds on balance beam and floor exercise, the last shared with Sabrina Vega. On July 23, 2011, Raisman won the all-around (57.25), placed first on floor exercise (14.7) and placed third on beam (15.0) at the 2011 CoverGirl Classic in Chicago, IL. She also competed her Amanar vault successfully for the first time, achieving the second highest score (15.1) on vault behind Brestyan's teammate Alicia Sacramone.[24] Raisman won the all-around bronze medal (114.60) at the 2011 U.S. Senior National Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota, held August 18–20, 2011.[25] She placed third on floor exercise (29.15) and sixth on balance beam (27.9). Following two selection camps at the Karolyi Ranch in New Waverly, Texas, Raisman was named to the U.S. team for October's 2011 World Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. During the preliminary round of competition at 2011 Worlds, Raisman delivered a strong all-around performance, qualifying to the all-around final in fourth place (58.432). In addition, she qualified first to the floor final (14.833) and sixth to the beam final (14.933). The skills she competed included a double twisting Yurchenko on vault (14.666), a tucked double front dismount on bars (14.0), an arabian double front dismount on beam, and a 1 1/2 to tucked double arabian to tucked punch front on floor. The U.S. team finished the preliminary round in first place (234.253), ahead of Russia (231.062), China (230.370) and Romania (227.228). Raisman performed on vault, balance beam and floor during the women's team final competition at Worlds. She executed a double-twisting Yurchenko on vault, and her skills on beam included a back handspring to layout and a double arabian dismount. On floor, she performed a tucked double arabian and a piked double arabian, along with a triple twist and a double pike dismount. The U.S. won the team gold medal (179.411) over second-place Russia (175.329) and third-place China (172.820). During the women's all-around final at Worlds, Raisman got off to a good start on vault with a high-scoring Yurchenko double twist (15.233). She faltered on uneven bars when one of her hands slipped off the high bar, resulting in several errors, but she finished her routine with a clean double front dismount (12.90). She rebounded on beam with a set that included a back handspring layout, a front pike layout stepout and a double arabian dismount (14.525). She continued to regain ground on floor exercise, where she tumbled a 1 1/2 t o double arabian to punch front, a piked double arabian, a triple twist and a double pike (14.9). She finished the all-around in fourth place—the same as her qualifying finish during preliminaries. Raisman competed in two event finals, the balance beam and the floor. She placed fourth on beam with a score of 15.066 and took the bronze on floor, scoring 15.000 on that apparatus.Raisman ended her beam set with her arabian double front dismount. On floor, her skills included a 1 1/2 to double arabian to punch front, a piked double arabian, a triple twist and a double pike. Raisman was believed to join the gymnastics team of the University of Florida, but as the signing day passed without a sign of her, rumours of her going pro emerged. They were confirmed on the 16th of November as she signed with the agency Octagon Sports who will represent her from this point on. By becoming a professional athlete, Raisman gave up her NCAA eligibility, following her Worlds teammates Jordyn Wieber and Alicia Sacramone. 2012 At the American Cup, Raisman took second place in the All Around behind Jordyn Wieber. She also debuted a new vault(2 1/2 twisting Yurchenko) and a modified floor exercise including a unique combination tumble- r/o 3/2 twist to r/o bhs arabian double tuck + front layout. In late March at the 2012 City of Jesolo Trophy competition, Raisman placed second all-around (59.05) to U.S. gymnast Kyla Ross. Raisman earned a fourth-place finish on vault with her new Amanar vault (15.4). She finished third on what is normally her weakest event, bars (14.45), behind Ross and U.S. gymnast Brenna Dowell. Raisman also notched a second-place finish on floor (14.65), behind Russian gymnast Anastasia Grishina.